Rolled toilet paper has found generally universal acceptance in the civilized world for the usual hygienic purposes. On occasion, various public facilities have instead employed separate sheets of paper. In any event, the use of such wiping material generally involves placing together several layers of the particular material. The individual then places the multi-layered wad of paper in contact with the portion of the anatomy requiring cleansing. The movement of the paper in a generally linear direction hopefully effects removal of most of the undesired detriments to cleanliness. The paper itself, of course, provides the sole barricade between such contaminants and the individual's hand and fingers.
The above procedure, though universally used, suffers from a plethora of undesirable and disturbing shortcomings. Yet, it continues to plague the mass of civilized humanity committed to its use.
Much of the paper used during the hygiene procedures does not actually cleanse the desired area. Most of its serves a different purpose, if any at all. For example, a portion of the paper simply allows the hand to hold it. Much of the paper attempts to shield the rest of the hand, although not involved in holding the paper, from the filth involved. A good portion of the paper has no use, but rather results from the requirements or desire to place it in the cylindrical roll form. Moreover, a part of the paper employed simply provides some assurance to the user of sufficient layers to prevent its breaking at an impropitious moment.
The use of an amount of material vastly in excess of that required becomes even more burdensome in these days of shortages of paper fiber. Nonetheless, the waste of a large fraction of the paper made into this form continues.
Even with an abundance of the paper material, the many layers can, on occasion, saturate with moisture and rupture. This allows contaminants to attack the hand and the surrounding clothing of the individual involved. Even without tearing, some contaminants can escape around the side of the paper to dirty the individual's hands and clothing.
The problems alluded to above represent, at best, a major inconvenience for a person cleaning himself. For an individual attending to another, such as an infant or an invalid, the undesirable aspects of the situation become intolerable.
Situations other than hygienic cleansing also require wiping with various materials. The cleaning or polishing of inanimate objects represents one such use of material. However, the cloth or other material employed in these circumstances again generally takes the form of a flat sheet. While the thumb and the palm of the hand attempt to hold onto it, the fingers attempt to use its remaining portion for the intended job. Again, the procedure uses an excess amount of material than that actually needed. Moreover, the material may degenerate or tear leaving the fingers exposed to undesirable substances. In addition, the fingers may be too large or lack the shape for the task at hand, such as cleaning the interstitial spaces of an automobile grill.
As the foregoing discussion shows, people have suffered through the use of toilet paper and other wiping materials for extended periods and to an umlimited degree. Nonetheless, the serious severe problems inherent in their use remain to this day. Providing a solution to these problems would hold the prospect of benefitting untold numbers of people.